Go Away
by GenkaiFan
Summary: Depressed from losing to Ko Yeong-ha in the Hokuto Cup, Hikaru Shindou decided to do a 'walk-about' to re-discover himself. He should've never taken that shortcut. He certainly didn't imagine discovering a certain abandoned railway station.


Summary: Depressed from losing to Ko Yeong-ha in the Hokuto Cup, Hikaru Shindou decided to do a ' _walk-about_ ' to re-discover himself. He should've never taken that shortcut. He certainly didn't imagine discovering a certain abandoned railway station.

A/N: This is a Spirited Away and Hikaru no Go crossover. It will take place after the Hikaru no Go manga and after the movie Spirited Away ended. Sorry,but Haku and Zen are not in this story. However, some of the denizens of the Bath house are.

Frau wasn't able to edit this, so I asked Miriam1 to do it. Frau and I have enjoyed Miriam's comments over the years. For more information about Frau, see below.

All terms used are listed at the bottom. We hope we got the definitions right. Plaese note – in Japan, it is last name first, then given.

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Disclaimer: We don't own. Hikaru no Go and Spirited Away belong to their respective writers, artists, and producers. We are just two old ladies that love to write. We don't know much Japanese, so please bear with us. Also, as the whole story takes place in Japan, please assume that everything is in Japanese.

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 **Go Away**

A dust-covered moped-scooter turned unto a narrow dirt road and paused for a moment. Taking off his helmet, exposing his bi-color, sweat-damp hair, Shindou Hikaru looked at the map and frown.

Damn it! The road he had just turned on to wasn't even on the frickin' map! Where was he? He could see houses up on the high cliff a ways off in the distance but no way to up to them.

Muttering under his breath as he tucked the map back inside his jacket, Hikaru looked up at the tree lined dirt road with disgust before replacing his helmet.

The idea of motoring around the country side on a 50-cc scooter had been a spur of the moment thing. He bought the road-worthy motorbike before starting out by train and traveled first to Innoshimato to visit Shusaku Hon'inbo's grave.

He had taken the time off just after losing the Hokuto Cup to Ko Yeong-ha by half a point. Just half a fricking point.

He needed – wanted – to fend his mentor's memory and honor on the goban against Yeong-ha, but he hadn't been strong enough.

Thankfully the Go Association was understanding enough to allow him to take a couple of weeks off for him to get his head back together. However, in typical Shindou stubbornness, he left without saying good bye to anyone. He didn't care and was certain he had pissed off his friends but he just had to get away.

He just didn't care. Damn it! He needed to find the answers to several questions in his life.

Why was he chosen by the Kami to play Go? Why, if he had all this potential, wasn't he good enough to defend his friend's reputation? Why did Sai leave him when there were still things he needed to learn? Why? What was he do now?

The questions and the pain still hadn't disappeared since Sai first left him. It didn't make the pain in his soul any more bearable.

He just needed this time to get his head back into some sort of sanity.

The dirt road turned into nothing more than a unkempt path. Spirit houses and small stone carvings dotted the path gave Hikaru a very funny feeling. But then, he was used to the supernatural, as he had been haunted by a spirit from the Heien Period for over two years.

He came to the end of the pathway to a two-faced stone statue standing in front of a faded red stone and plaster wall. The darkened archway seemed long, dark and menacing. The wind was causing a soft, haunting, flute-like sound to emit from it.

Parking his bike, Hikaru took off his helmet once more as he looked up at the rundown building. It reminded him of something, but he honestly couldn't figure out why it did.

He hooked the helmet on the handlebar after he parked the scooter beside the entrance, making sure it wouldn't be stolen, before walking into the darkened archway disappearing into the long black tunnel. The tunnel was long but came out into an abandoned railway station. Leaves and debris danced on the breeze along the floor. By the inch of dirt and dust on the floor was undisturbed, Hikaru could tell that the station wasn't in use and had seen better days.

Weird.

The abandoned station gave off a supernatural aura giving him a chill down his spine. The sound of a train going by rattled the stain glass window over head. He didn't remember seeing any tracks.

Coming from the back entrance of the station was familiar flute music.

A slow smile crept on Hikaru's face. Hope filled him. He knew that music. He heard it just about every night for over two years, before it was gone.

He walked through the lobby and out another archway. A grassy hillside dotted with large carved stones and ruined buildings with a dry stream at its base filled his gaze. Up the hillside and just out of sight, he heard flute music even more clearly.

He followed the sound across a rocky dry river bed and up the hillside until he could see a lone figure dressed as a low noble from the Heien Period. A very familiar figure was sitting under a flowering sakura tree lost in mediation and his music.

Hikaru blinked, then rubbed his eyes and blinked again. A slow smile formed as a gasp of happiness followed.

"Sai!" he shouted and ran, stumbling in his hurry over the rocks hidden in the grass. "Sai!"

The flutist stopped playing and turned to the approaching figure. Hikaru, as he grew closer, could see those beautiful amethyst eyes widen in surprise.

"Hik. . Hikaru. . .?"

"SAI!" Hikaru stopped inches from the tall elegant figure. It was like his dream all over again. "Is it really you? Why did you leave me? How did I find you again? Are you angry with me? Sai!? Speak to me! Sai?"

"Hik. . .Hikaru!? How . . . ?" Sai stared him flabbergasted. He looked up at the late afternoon sun. "You shouldn't be here. It'll be dark soon."

Following his gaze upward, Hikaru noticed that the clouds were starting to turn into evening colors.

' _Well, this is different than my dream_ ,' he mused. ' _His voice, however, is as I remember._ '

"Not without you. Please, Sai," Hikaru pleaded, turning back to Sai. "Talk to me, please. Why did you leave me? I tried to defend your honor during the Hokotu Cup but I wasn't strong enough. Please Sai. Come back to me."

Sai turned back to him and frowned. The tall stately figure stared at Hikaru, for a moment as if making up his mind. "You really shouldn't be here. With night coming, you won't be able to cross back until morning."

However, the shadows were fading the natural colors around them as the sun dipped lower behind the hills. Sai looked over at the train station and the noted that stone frogs will be filling the valley with water any minute.

With a frown, the tall spirit grabbed Hikaru by the wrist and began to pull him hurriedly up the hillside to a set of stone stairs. "Come. Kamaji will be waking soon and start up the boiler. We can talk there."

"But. . . " Hikaru tried to protest but it was all he could do to keep up with Sai's hurried and longer strides.

Deserted shops lined the stairs as they ran up the stone steps. What Hikaru could see, as no one was around, was that the place was totally emptied. The bleached-banged teen did catch the tantalizing aroma of food being prepared from one of the ramen shops and it reminded him he hadn't eaten much today.

Before he could mention he was hungry, Sai exited the main street that lead to an ornate bridge over a deep canyon, leading up to a Bath House. Hikaru could hear the sound of a train coming up from the chasm.

"This way. Come. Before they see you." Sai turned aside after they had crossed the bridge to a small wooden door, which caused both to bend down to enter. The path ran along the side of the bathhouse to a long set of wooden stairs, then a set of stone stairs affixed to the foundation of the bath house.

"We have to go this way. Say nothing," Sai cautioned as the shadows deepened as the last light of the fading sun peeked through the horizon. "The way back to the Human World will be now blocked, since the sun is almost gone. You won't be able to leave until tomorrow. If they find you, you will be turned into a pig. Yubaba doesn't like humans that much."

The spirit stopped for a moment to get his bearings and to make certain that no one had seen them. With a slight whine, he gave a tug on the teen's arm. "Oh, Hikaru. This way. Come on."

Hikaru saved his energy in trying to keep up with Sai. The vise-like grip on his wrist was the only thing keeping him from falling. They finally came to a metal side door.

Sai led him through to many rooms to a brightly lit one that seemed to be lined with drawers.

Before they reached that bright room, Sai offered up a small rice ball. "Hikaru, you need to eat this. It'll protect you from fading. Humans aren't meant to be here, but from time to time they wander in and are caught. Some are made to work here at the Bath House as slaves while others are turned into pigs."

Hikaru took it as they sat in the shadow of the steam pipes that lined the long room as Sai continued on, "Through that door you will find Kamaji, the Boiler Man. He will protest and try to send you away. Let me talk to him. After that, I'll go and get us some food. You must not be seen by anyone. If someone comes before I get back, hide in this room."

"Yeah yeah, I get it," Hikaru took the bit of food and quickly ate it. It didn't quite end his hunger, but it tasted pretty good while it lasted. It wasn't ramen, not by a long shot.

"Oh Hikaru, this is very important. Pay attention. You are in great danger if you are caught."

They quietly entered the boiler room together. Sai's long _kariginu_ _ *****_ hid most of Hikaru from view.

The room was covered with rows and rows of drawers. The smell of burning coal and crushed herbs permeated the whole room. The young Go player could see an old man with a grey, bushy mustache and dark-shaded glasses sitting on a raised platform drinking directly from a tea kettle. Another arm was extending across the room and up the drawer covered wall. Another two arms were working a mortar and pestle.

Hikaru wasn't too sure about all this, as they had to cross a recessed floor to a raised living area. The floor was covered with black balls of soot, carrying lumps of coal towards a gaping iron maw that belched smoke and flames.

"Ahh Fuji, my friend. . . " came the gravelly voice of the old man, as he moved to the edge of his high platform and adjust his dark shades. "Ohhhh, who is this? He smells human."

"Kamaji-san, this is my former student I told you about, Shindou Hikaru," Sai said, placing a hand on Hikaru's shoulder. "He came through the station portal. Can I hide him here? Just for tonight? I'll take him back tomorrow when everyone is asleep." Hikaru hid a smirk as Sai's voice took very distinct whine to it. How he missed that whine.

"I don't know," Kamaji said, rubbing his chin. "What if Yubaba finds out? She wasn't too happy about that last human invading the bath house. She caused all kind of troubles. It took over a month to clean up the mess she made."

"That's why Hikaru will be staying here just for tonight," Sai insisted.

It took some strong convincing, but in the end, Hikaru was allowed to stay in the Boiler Room with them. Sai offered to go and retrieve some food for the three of them and to let the Foreman know he wasn't working tonight.

Hikaru decided to hide in the dark back room that they came through while Sai was gone, just in case.

In the darkness of the pipe room, Hikaru could hear Kamaji as he worked, muttering about tokens coming too fast and not enough time. He could hear as the old man banged a hammer and shouted at the soot balls to hurry up.

Hikaru had time, sitting in the darken back room, to think on what had happened so far. He couldn't believe his luck. He had found Sai. Now he finally would get the answers he had always wanted.

About an hour later, Sai returned with food. It was awkward for Hikaru watching Sai crawl through the small entrance door in his formal Heien robes and cone hat while pushing the small wooden bucket containing their food.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Hikaru sat on the step watching tiny balls of soot walk past his feet, carrying pieces of coal to the boiler as he munched on another rice ball. The dinner had been delicious and filling. Thankfully, no one had come to bother the trio so far.

Behind him, Sai was setting up a _goban._

"Come, Hikaru, let's play," called Sai.

"Sure thing, Sai." Hikaru dusted off his fingers after he had popped the last of his rice ball into his mouth. Hey! It wasn't ramen but still. . .

"Fuji, why does he call you Sai? Could it be your real name?" asked the old Boil Man, finally taking a break as he waited for the next order.

Surprised, Hikaru turned around as he kicked off his shoes, to sit next to Sai and the goban. "I don't understand. I've always called him Sai. It's his name."

"We have to sign a contract when we first come to work here," Kamaji informed Hikaru. "Yubaba, the cold-hearted witch that she is, takes our names the moment we sign her blasted contract. That's how she controls us, by stealing our names. If we truly forget, we can never find our way home."

"Well," Hikaru huffed and announced. "Sai's full name is Fujiwara no Sai. He was a Go tutor for the Emperor some thousand years ago. He was framed for cheating and committed suicide. Then he haunted a _goban_ until he possessed Kuwahara Shusaku and became Shusaku Hon'inbo until he died. But most importantly, he is or was my best friend ever since I was twelve."

The sound of stones crashing onto the floor brought Hikaru's attention back to his friend.

"Wh. . . what did you call me? What was my name again?" Sai asked, stunned.

"Fujiwara no Sai. Sure, you were a pain in the butt when I first met you but then I was only twelve and such a selfish brat. You were whiny, always demanding to play Go all the time. And I have missed you each and every day since you left. I miss your voice, the way you hung off of me, the way you challenged me to do better. There hasn't been a day since you left that I haven't missed you."

Hikaru sighed and then in a small child-like voice he quietly asked, "Sai? Why did you leave?"

Sai clutched his chest as he leaned back onto his heels with each word that came out of Hikaru's mouth. More loose Go stones fell to the floor as the last question went unanswered.

"You have your name back, my friend," Kamaji said as he moved off his platform moving on long spider-like arms. "Congratulations. You can go home now."

"I. . . I don't understand." A confused Hikaru looked between the pair, as Sai tried to compose himself. "I'm missing something."

"Fuji is a special case. He isn't supposed to be here. . ." Kamaji started to explain.

Suddenly, Hikaru was engulfed in a huge bone crushing hug as Sai wailed. "I can't believe it! I got my name back! Oh, Hikaru! Thank you, thank you."

"Sai! Can't breathe!"

0o0o0o0o

The rest of the night spent in the Boiler Room was a bit of a slumber party. While Kamaji was busy filling orders and keeping the boiler going the pair played Go.

"You have gotten so much stronger, Hikaru," Sai praised when they finished their game. "I am so proud of you."

The blonde-banged teen blushed, as he cleared his stones off the board. "I still can't beat you. I. . .I . . .I'm. . ."

"Hikaru," Sai chided, as he tapped his fan on his former student's bowed head. "You are still young and have a long life in front of you. I've taught you how to read deep into the game, but you still lack the experience. It takes time."

"Then. . . then you are not angry with me?" he asked rubbing the top of his head.

"Why would I be angry?" Sai asked, confused.

"You left. You didn't even say good-bye." He looked up as a lone tear ran down his cheek. "I know I treated you awful but I thought we would all of my life togettt. . . OW!"

Sai thwapped Hikaru several times on the head with his fan. "Hikaru! You are so. . . You gave me something I never really appreciated when I was alive. You were my student and friend. Yes, you could be sooooo mean, but you took to Go as you were meant to. I am so proud to be your teacher. Kami no Go wanted me to teach you, that was all there is to it. He wanted you to see Go as I see it. To see how fun it can be. That was why you needed to see that game between Touya-mejin and myself."

The sound of Kamaji's hammer beat against the over-sized wheel next to his platform. "All right, you two, let's not get too mushy. Hey you soot balls! Break time's over! We still have work to do! Hop to it!" He banged his hammer again.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The rest of the night was game, talk, game until the sun started to rise. Sai corrected several of his former student's playing techniques and chided him for some of his lazy moves. Hikaru's temper got the best of him a couple of times, but then he would realize he had only this night to be with his friend and mentor. That thought calmed him back down, chilling any anger he might have.

Hikaru told Sai of his life as a Go pro and how he had studied Shusaku's kifo's to be closer to him. Then he spoke of the Hokotu Cup and how he lost by half a point.

"I tried Sai, I really did but. . . "

Sai smiled. "Oh Hikaru. It's alright. You did your best. You know that you don't know how strong a player is until you play him. There is no shame to losing to one such as he. Just get stronger."

"But Sai, he was saying some awful things about Shusaku . . . about you," Hikaru protested.

"Let it go, Hikaru," the tall spirit chided, tapping his fan once more on his student's head. "I am dead after all. It doesn't hurt me. My time has passed. Get stronger and beat him next time. I know you can do it."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

At the top of the Bath House lived the owner, Yubaba – an ancient, greedy witch. She was dressed as a western madam in a blue floor-length ruffled dress. Her long white hair was tied up in a rolled chignon held in place by an ivory carved hair stick.

She ran her Bath House with an iron fist, squeezing every last bit of work from her many employees. She held their very existence in the palm of her gnarly ringed hands. All of her employees were forced to sign a contract, and then she took their true names, giving back a small part. That was how she controlled them, forcing them to work for her. If they forgot their names, they were hers forever and never could go move on.

The old witch was hunched over her tacky, ornate oak desk going over the night's receipts when she felt something cross her wards. She paused and laid down her pen.

"Something's not right," she muttered to herself. "It feels like a human has crossed the barrier." She walked over to a gold plated skull on the other side of her office.

"Is there anything unusual going on down there?" her gravelly voice called into it as it was a direct feed to the foreman of the Bath House.

"All's quiet tonight, rather slow right now, actually. Although, Fuji-sama did say he was entertaining a special client tonight, but that's it. Want me to go get him? You don't think it's another stink spirit, or worse, a human?" came a male's voice back through the skull.

"No. Something seems off tonight. Be alert, but don't scare the customers. Don't bother Fuji, if he's with a client."

She turned away and walked over to her window and looked out into the darkness. "What spirit is lurking in the shadows tonight? If it is another human . . ."

Unable to figure it out, she returned to her desk and the paperwork waiting for her, never seeing a shadow sitting on her ledge, gleefully chuckling holding a ruined contract.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The bright morning sun shone down on the sleepy Bath House as guests and residents alike sought their beds. It had been a quiet night for both staff and the guests. The sun had just cleared the horizon as the last of the staff sought their beds once their work was over.

No one in the Bath House, including Yubaba, had realized that a human had spent the night tucked away in the Boiler Room with just Kamaji and Fuji as co-conspirators.

When they were sure everyone was safely asleep, Sai escorted Hikaru back out and up the way they had come in. The train's passage echoed against the stone cavern walls as it went passed.

Hikaru followed Sai, up the stairs taking in the view of an endless sea in the distance.

The night before had been a balm on the teen's soul. He and Sai, through the night, had corrected many misconceptions between them. Hikaru had come to terms with the harsh realization that Sai's time in the Human World had come at an end. The spirit had done what the Kami no Go had wanted him to do and moved on.

At least he had this last night with Sai and had many of his questions answered. The pain and grief had lessened through the night's many games of Go.

Hikaru wasn't happy, but there was nothing he could do. He was still human and still had much ahead of him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They stopped at the top of the slope overlooking the grassy hillside. Unseen at the bottom of the hill was the entrance of train station and the way back to the Human World.

"This is as far as I can go, Hikaru," Sai told him as the breeze played with his long white _kariginu_ * and his long dark hair.

"Sai?" He gave a pleading look up at his friend, before he turned to step away.

"Hikaru. Here."

The youth turned as Sai pulled out his elegant paper fan from his flowing sleeve and offered it to him. It was like his dream all over again. Sai didn't say anything but waited for him to take it.

Hikaru, half afraid this was just like his dream and wouldn't be able to touch it, reached out and grasped the tasseled handle.

"Ssssai," he whispered, as Sai looked up at the cloud dotted sky.

The fan firmly in his hand, the teen studied it for a moment before tucking it into his jacket. It felt real and tangible. He prayed that it would still be in his pocket when he returned home.

"Sai?"

From the Bath House came a loud shriek, causing both to jump.

Sai turned back to his young friend. "Go now, hurry. Yubaba knows something is up. She mustn't find you. Hurry and don't look back."

Hikaru turned and ran down the slope.

"Run Hikaru! Run and don't look back!" Sai's voice shouted, behind him.

The shriek became louder as Hikaru ran down the grassy slope towards the station tunnel. He didn't look back to see what was chasing him, but he could hear the flapping of wings coming closer. Whatever was chasing him meant nothing good. He prayed to the Kami no Go that he made it to the station. He prayed that Sai would be safe from whatever was chasing him.

Suddenly, the station entrance was before him as he navigated the dry rocky river bed.

"Hurry! This way!" came the shout of an old man standing in front of the station archway, waving him onward. "Come! Hurry!"

Hikaru stumbled as he cleared the river bed as he half ran and half slid the rest of the way.

The shrieking being was now almost upon him as the old man continued to call out encouragement. But the long night before, as he had stayed up with Sai playing Go was taking its toll on his energy. The teen wasn't sure if he could make it.

Suddenly, strong hands grabbed him and pulled him into the station as something crashed into the wall above the entrance. Turning back, Hikaru saw the large black tail feathers fanning the top of the entrance as stray feathers drifted to the ground. Then the entrance disappeared and became a wall.

The old man slowly released his grip as he cackled. "Serves her right. The old hag! Come young student of my disciple. Come and sit with me."

Hikaru finally got a good look at his rescuer. At first, he thought he was looking at the creepy old man Kuwabara Honinbo but instead of the business suit he was wearing the same Heien Period outfit that Sai wears.

"Uh. . . thank you. . . ?"

"Come play a game with me, young student. I want to see how much have you learn from your teacher." The old man led Hikaru to a traditional _goban_ with two _zabuton_ waiting for a match. "I will allow you to play black and we will play with no handicaps."

"But can't she come in here?"

"No, young student of my disciple," the old man shook his head. "The way is blocked. This station is a halfway point between the Human and Spirit World. She cannot enter. The wards wouldn't allow it. Come, play me."

Hikaru, not sure what was going on but somehow knew he couldn't refuse, bowed over the _goban_ and intoned, " _Onegaishimasu_."

About half way through the game, Hikaru knew he would lose this game if he couldn't turn it around. That is, if he could. He reached into his pocket and brought out Sai's fan. Not the one he usually carried, that had been packed into his bags strapped to his scooter.

' _This old man was good, very good, 'better than Sai' good_.' Hikaru studied the goban more closely and didn't think anyone could be better than that Go-crazed spirit.

Thankfully the game was not a timed game. He could take his time and think his way through each move.

What many in the Go profession that has known or has played against him have learned was there comes a point in a game where Hikaru becomes so focused that he has tunnel vision. To the teen only the _goban_ \- that moment exists.

Hikaru went deep into the game, unaware that he was tapping Sai's fan against the stone jar.

With a determined frown, he picked up a stone and placed it on the _goban_. The _pachi_ of the stone hitting the _goban_ sounded and resounded against the abandoned walls, echoing and re-echoing.

The stone had nothing to do with any of the different traps, territories that had been played before that move. That stone had meaning that only Hikaru could see.

For many Go professionals who have played Go for years would say it was a mistake in the making. However, his friends were used to these types of moves. To many, Hikaru was a Go-prodigy with untapped potential and that move was very typical of him.

"Wonderful! Excellent! I approve!" the old man shouted, cackling his pleasure at the move as he clapped his hands. "I see I wasn't wrong when I had young Sai setting you on your destined path. You have earned your place, my new young disciple."

Hikaru looked up in shock. "Huh?"

Before his eyes, the old man slowly melted away to a middle-aged man dressed in high noble fashion from the Heien Period. A golden light filled the train station. A bamboo curtain unfurled from the ceiling, separating the pair, allowing Hikaru to lower his arm to look at the now shadowed figure of the _Kami no Go_.

"In my arrogance and great joy in finally receiving my most favored disciple Fujiwara no Sai," the _Kami no Go_ explained as he dismissed the _goban_ between them. "I bragged about his prowess to Yubaba, one night in drunken celebration. She runs the best Bath House in the Spirit World, you know, and her herbal baths are divine. She naturally challenged a game between herself and my favored disciple. The stakes were normal stakes – free visits against my disciple working for a time for her."

Hikaru listened with dread. He just knew how this was going to end.

"She cheated, of course. She won and I lost my favored disciple and she kept him. Worse, she took his name and I couldn't get it back. The spell on those hell-spawned contracts of hers causes those in the Spirit World to lose their true name unless they or someone can break it. I was in despair. Until I remembered you and then I watched your game with that Korean. Wonderful game, it was. You should be proud on how well you played," the _Kami no Go_ smiled down at Hikaru. "I knew you wanted answers and I wanted my true disciple back. So, I began to plan."

"Then. . . then. . ." Hikaru stuttered.

"I'm sorry that you were so heart torn by your _sensei_ 's departure. But he was right. He HAD finally learned what I wanted – needed him – to learn. Now, your _sensei_ and friend is now free of that awful place and able to return to my side. As it is your place to return to the Human World to bring more followers to my _goban."_ The _Kami_ clapped his hands and announced, "Do not worry, my young disciple, you will be highly rewarded for your deeds last night."

Hikaru stood and shook off the dirt and dead leaves that clung to his pants before he deeply bowed to the _Kami._ "I . . . I thank you for the game, K _ami-sama_ and . . . for allowing me to see Sai once more. . . But there is nothing I truly want. I play Go to see Sai. _I play Go to link the far past to the far future._ ** That is all."

The _Kami_ smiled as he stroked his beard. "Wise words, for someone so young. That is all, indeed. Live your life well, my young disciple."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The tunnel was just as long and as black as the day before. At least, he hoped it was the day before when he had stepped into the Spirit World. From everything he had read and heard, humans had no business dealing with the After Life. Such thoughts were too deep for a high school drop-out like him to fathom.

His scooter was where he had left it. Dust and leaves covered it. He needed to get back and find out how much time had past. He was sure his two weeks were long over with and that he had missed a scheduled game or two. He really didn't need another set back.

Hikaru looked back at the tunnel and sighed before pulling out Sai's fan. He was sure he would never be able to return to the Spirit World by this route again, but then, he didn't need to. He had finally gotten the answers he needed and wondered if the _Kami_ really was going to reward him. He had all the reward he needed by just seeing his friend again.

 _'Sayanara Sai and thank you, Kami no Go-sama. I will make you both proud of me.'_ He turned his bike around.

There was the sound of a flute echoing in the wind that blew across the tunnel opening as the sound of the scooter roared back down the road it came.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: There may be a sequel. Genkai has an idea for one, but she would need someone familiar with the anime. Knowing about the game Go is an option but not necessary.

Frau's health isn't the greatest. Hospice has made her as comfortable as possible. She doesn't do much but visit with those that come and visit with her, sleep or watch TV. She has a lap top for reading but she hardly ever uses it.

Anyone with the knowledge of Hikaru no Go and/or Bleach. Contact me, please. I know Miriam1 has been great in the editing part but even she will say she isn't much into anime. Hikura no Go wasn't that popular of an anime to begin with.

-GF

* **Kariginu** – long over garment with a frog closure at the neck and long flowing sleeves from the Heien period that Sai wears.

 **Goban** – Go game board

 **Zabuton** – floor cushions

 **Pachi** – the manga used this word to symbolize sound of a go stone hitting the goban.

 **Kami no Go** – God of Go

 **Sensei** – teacher

 ** **Onegaishimasu**** – Please do your best or If you please. it is used to start of the game.

 **** the quote is from Hikaru no Go manga vol. 189 pg 10.**


End file.
